Kayak seat coming loose

What would you use to reglue a seat that has come loose on one side back to the kayak hull?

The seat material lookas loke plastic, and the kayak hull is carbon/kevlar.

The manufacturer uses a material that is not over the counter and not available



Jack L

3M 5200 or 4200
That ought to hold it.



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

Thanks Marshall
A couple of questions on it:

  1. Can I get it at Lowes or any hardware store?

    2 Does it come in a caulking tube ?



    I’ll need something like that, since one side is still cemented down, and I’ll need something that I can just put a bead under the 1/8" space, and then put a weight on the seat until it hardens and holds it.



    Jack L

Maybe
You might be able to get it at Lowes (I believe I’ve seen it at a local Lowes) or a well stocked hardware store. I think I bought mine at West Marine. (It was to re-glue the seat in my ProLite Aquanaut (carbon kevlar/diolene and weighing 60+ lbs).

Home Depot carries it

– Last Updated: May-06-13 4:52 PM EST –

Does not come in a caulking gun tube as far as I know but in a regular squeeze-out tube.

Make sure you get the "fast curing" version, which still takes several days to cure (it never hardens fully but remains slightly flexy, but very strong). Wear gloves - very hard to clean. The 5200 Marine is what I think you need. It also expands a bit from my limited experience with it, so do not be surprised if you see some come out from where you did not put it. Can easily trim with a sharp knife later if too much.

Thanks guys,
You’ve answered just what I need to know



Jack L

5200…the Devils adhesive
4200 the Lesser Devil

4200 + comes in caulking tube Jack
Let it all dry out of can and even if you have to buy a sanding disc … Just get one so you can slide it under in and out a few times to sand for prep and kick out and grit … You could always do this with hacksaw blade too but do what you can to get the grit out first as it will just poke and prod hull right there forever with you sitting on it … Or at least pull the seat up a little more and jam the hose in there … Keep it pried up to dry out then sand



Double mask off the whole area … Jam the 4200 in there and only need light pressure on seat … Couple bricks or gallon jug … Let the excess squeeze out and do a nice fillet and pull the first tape … Repeat for even nicer fillet and pull THAT tape … What remains should be perfect or can be brought up to concours level.

Store leftovers in freezer
Just like with aquaseal and some other glues, the remaining 3M in the tube is supposed to harden fairly soon after you have opened the container. I’ve had good results for over a year or more storing such small half-used tubes in the freezer. I just put them in warm water and massage them to warm-up next time I need to use them. Then stick back in the freezer. I guess a gun-tube is not something you can massage like a toothpaste tube, so it will take longer to warmup for the next use. Seems to be working fine this way…

A comment and a few more questions
I could only get a tube of 5200.



First question: it is supposed to set in 48 hours, and then it take seven days to a final cure. I have a wedge holding the seat down on it. Can I remove the wedge a two days, or will the seat pop back up?



Second question: it is white. Will automotive paint adhere to it ?



Jack L

The reason for only a couple bricks
was just to hold it in place NOT put ‘clamping’ type pressure on it and build in creeping stress …IF that wedge is holding it in place with some pressure Jack, I would leave it for a week or pull it out and just sent something on it with lighter pressure so it final cures with a lighter ‘load’ on bond line … Hope this makes sense … Never tired to paint it … Don’t know … Smear some on plate, let cure and then try it ?

Thanks

– Last Updated: May-13-13 8:30 AM EST –

I need the wedge to force that half of the seat down where it belongs. the other half is down tight. but the loose side was up about an quarter inch. The wedge is nothing more than a piece of wood jamned between the underside of the cockpit to the lip of the seat.
I just checked the bond a little while ago, and it is still a liquid consistency. I did it yesterday afternoon. Is that normal ?

The temperature dropped to 39 here this morning. Will that screw up the project ?

Jack L

Thanks for that storage heads up Kocho
I wouldn’t have known that and I only used a small amount out of the tube.

I have had good results with the Aqua seal using it two years later after keeping it in the freezer



jack L

Temp is a factor
The 5200 cures very slowly, can take a week or more at lower than ideal temps and even longer in cold conditions. Especially if you bought the regular vs. the “fast curing” version…



It should harden to a consistency similar to that of cured silicone - not rock hard but not mushy either. For thicker layers I would allow extra time to cure as I am guessing the curing process is activated by air contact and it will take longer for air to get through to the inside of a fat layer of the goop…

Sorry Jack , gotta wait on it.
5200 REALLY sloooow.

I’m kicking my butt I ever used it.
I should have bit the bullet and driven the six hour round trip to a West Marine and bought some Gel-Flex epoxy.

The boat is on top of my table saw with that piece of wood wedged in that I don’t want to disturb, and it is making it hard to move around in the shop. I don’t dare move the kayak for fear that the piece of wood will pop out.



-First and last time I’ll use that stuff!



Next Sunday when I pull the piece of wood out the seat better be solid, or I am going hunt each of you down and beat you with a wet noodle!



Jack L

Sorry man. I only use and recommend 4200
But please come on down :slight_smile:

It’s all Matshall’s fault :wink:
Gflex would’ve worked fast but it hardens rather stiff, which create stress points, which you don’t want in general. Good things don’t come fast :slight_smile:



Maybe, heat-up the space where the boat is?